A Cowboy's Instinct
by Artemis L. Oakenfold
Summary: Mike Starwind, a famous bounty hunter, is off duty until he and his partner discover a new bounty on the run. But little did Mike knew that the wanted bounty was the woman he met. Will Mike arrest her or not?... This is my friend and mine first CB fic tog


A Cowboy Instinct-by SiMsTer & Artemis L. Oakenfold  
  
Author's Note: The story's idea was made between my friend and I. Character's are not to be used without each owner's permission. But heck, enjoy.  
  
Other important detail: Story is based on Cowboy Bebop. (We don't own it by the way.) And the title might be changed.  
  
Now on with the feature presentation.  
  
****  
  
Year 2077  
  
The ceiling fans spun creakingly as soft jazz music played from the nearby jukebox. A young man ordered a drink as he sat in one of the most recognized bars in town. Bounty Hunter's Heaven. As the name says it all, it was a bar exclusively for the hunters of the bounty and made for those who seek excitement and adventure. Yet, everyone knew what dangers awaited them at these late hours. But to Mike Starwind, he really didn't mind. The 23 year old sipped his cool drink as he spoke to his friend Jeff Forweld. They were talking about all the crazy bounties they had chased back when they both started hunting.  
  
"And I'm telling you, this guy had more than 50 guns on him, it was crazy.. And all I had was an old revolver." Jeff laughed.  
  
Mike shook his head. "You still use that old thing? Why don't you ever carry more ammo?" Mike asked.  
  
"Nah, too much weight. You think I'm gonna run after some guy while I'm loaded with 20 rounds of ammo? No way!" Jeff yelled enfuriated.  
  
Everyone in the bar looked at him questionably and Jeff chuckled nervously. Mike didn't say anything. Leaving his glass, Mike stood up and stepped outside of Bounty Hunter's Heaven, leaving Jeff alone in his humiliation.  
  
"Crazy idiot." Mike whispered to himself as he walked along the dark road, hands in his pockets. Several starships hovered by close to the ground, trying to get by sky traffic overhead.  
  
Jeff ran out of the bar and caught up with Mike.  
  
"Mike, I got a call." Jeff said gasping for air. " I just got word there's a new bounty on some girl in the city. Looks like she robbed Lincon bank. They say she's got 10,000 on her."  
  
Mike nodded "Then let's get going, shall we?"  
  
The two dashed off down the road ahead. At this hour, space was in complete traffic and amazingly the streets were abandoned, except a few cars and spacecrafts driving around. Mike and Jeff could hear the faint sounds of police sirens.  
  
"This way." Jeff called out.  
  
They turned a corner, passing a few vehicles and on another street. They stopped. "You see anyone?" Jeff said "Hey, I thought the coppers were on this road."  
  
"No, I guess they're not on this road." Mike replied "Let's split up. I'll continue on ahead this road and you go back and turn right and into Lincon boulevard. Check to see if the police found the girl and call me on the radio. I'll keep at it and I'll do the same here."  
  
Jeff nodded and ran to were Mike had told him. Mike ran ahead straight, dodging a few aircrafts. As Mike ran, he could see across the alleys into the other streets ahead. He saw some patrol cars on the other road. So the cops are over there, Mike thought. Then, At the corner of his eye he could've sworn he saw a person running also.  
  
No, it WAS another person. And she was female. Mike heard her screaming: "I didn't do it! Why would I steal from the bank I was guarding?!"  
  
"Who the heck?" Mike said to himself.  
  
Mike then hid in an alley and waited until the woman passed by. As She caught up, he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.  
  
"Are you the one who robbed the bank?!" Mike yelled.  
  
The girl struggled a bit, trying to break free. "Look, I was framed! Please, Just get me away from the cops and I'll tell you everything!" She said exasperated. Mike let her go.  
  
He asked her: "Who are you?"  
  
"My name is Regina. Regina Thompson." She replied. "And you?"  
  
"The name's Mike Starwind, bounty hunter." Mike looked over her shoulder and saw the police men approaching rapidly. "Let's discuss this later. C'mon!" He grabbed Regina's hand and took off. The two ran as shots were fired.  
  
Mike hoped the cops would figure out it's him before they accidently shoot him. Suddenly, he pushed Regina ahead of him and shouted, "Listen, Keep running this way and you'll come to a bar named Bounty Hunter Heaven. You'll come to a blue-ish green ship parked there. The password to enter is Starwind. If , by any chance, the computer asks who you are just tell it I sent you, now go!"  
  
Regina nodded and ran. Mike then turned to face the police. "Follow me ya losers." He said as he reached for his pistol in his trench coat. He shot a few bullets and ran off into a dark, inky alley. Mike hid behind a garbage dumpster. The police's footsteps were faint in the alley but definitely audiable. They were approaching fast. Mike ran straight, and yet unfortunantely came across a dead end.  
  
"Freeze!" A police officer demanded.  
  
Mike was in a jam now. He obliged and put his hands up. The man stepped slowly toward him. Time was running out. Mike had to act fast. From the corner of his eye, Mike saw ladders of a fire escape above him, a few yards ahead. Mike ran and pushed the cop to the ground and toward the wall opposite the ladder. With one impulse, Mike wall kicked high and into the air then grabbing hold of the ladder. He climbed up the steps.  
  
The air blew cold up on the roof top of the old building. Mike walked across to peer down from the ledge of the roof. More shots we fired. He ran back and managed to jump down and back into the alley. "These guys never quit." Mike said to himself. That's when Mike decided to tire the cops out. He hid within some crates and waited.  
  
After to what seemed like more than 20 minutes, Mike had heard no more men nor sirens. He assumed they had given up. Oh well.  
  
Mike headed toward his ship back at the bar. He noticed the sky traffic had smoothed out a bit. He saw crafts hovering about in the sky easier. Mike arrived at his ship, seeing that it was the only one in the parking lot. He saw that the lights were turned on and heavy dance music was playing in the backround. What is this?, Mike thought.  
  
As he opened the entrance he saw Regina dancing wildly to the music, Regina not even sensing anyone had entered. Mike leaned against the wall and grinned, staring at the young woman. With a quick finger, he paused the music. "Sorry to disrupt your dance craze." Regina turned to see Mike smiling.  
  
"You're a little bit too old to be dancing like that , ya know." Mike said as he sat down, ready to smoke a cigarette.  
  
"Yeah well, This isn't much of a big starship, ya know. Plus, your computer's crazy." Regina decided to sit also.  
  
"Yes, I know, the computer can get fidgety." Said Mike. "Anyway, back to business. Who are you, why were the cops chasing you?"  
  
The woman sighed. "Like I said before, My name is Regina Thompson. I was guarding the bank for my group." She began. "I am a first class agent. Top of the line. But somehow, earlier today it seems like another person was trying to impersonate me to ruin my reputation. I suppose the person robbed a bank and someone called the police assuming the criminal was Regina Thompson, so I guess I'm pretty much considered framed. "Yet the weird thing is that I never heard the alarms go off, which means, whoever did it must have worked in the bank before and have authorized access. Now, here I am on a bounty list and I didn't even do anything. Great , huh?"  
  
"Hmm" Mike then sighed "So I guess that means, if we find the person who is trying to ruin your reputation, I'll get 10,000 easy."  
  
"If you see it that way. And I'll get a bonus for being shot and chased by police for no permittable reason." Regina said excitedly.  
  
Mike laughed at her and threw away the cigarette butt. "You excite over that trash? You know, you get paid really well being a bounty hunter like I am."  
  
Regina looked at him in an odd way. "Oh really?! You, a bounty hunter? Tell me, what's it like?"  
  
"Well, the benefits. To start, the government pays for all your expenses. That means, free house, free car, free spaceship, traveling is free, but no free extra weapons. And your pay depends on how big your hunt is. But believe me, you'd get paid a lot for something so ridiculously easy. For example, one time me and one of my fellow bounty hunter were sent on a mission to track down this madman saying he was to blow up the transport base in Mercury.."  
  
Mike explained about that mission. The madman threatened to blow up all transport bases on the planet Mercury as a threat to all transport workers. He was equipped with over 50 different weapons and not even the government officials on Mercury could stop him. Mike and Jeff were sent, and with the help of the big Starfighter jet craft, they got the job completed.  
  
"And that's how my friend and I received 28,000 plus medical payment. Yet, I don't like to spend that much money unless its for guns and ammo or extra ship equipment. Things like that." Mike finished.  
  
Regina smiled and stood up "Sounds like a promising career." She pressed a button of the starship's barrier "Maybe I'll join you."  
  
Mike looked down at his cigarette. "Heh, maybe you should. Maybe you'll find the freedom that you get is pretty damned convenient, you know what I'm saying?"  
  
Regina nodded. "Maybe." She said "Well, see you around Mr. Starwind. Hope we meet later on." And after those words, she walked through the entrance and left the starship, its door shutting close after.  
  
Mike was alone once again. He smashed his cigarette in a nearby ashtray and sat in deep thought. When suddenly a glistening light caught his eye. Mike stood up and walked over to the small item. It was a card. Mike examined it, turning and flipping it over. By the look of it was a card chip, the key to a lock. Mike swore he knew to what this was for, but he could not quite remember.  
  
"Oh it looks like you found the girl." Jeff said as entered. "What you got there?"  
  
Mike handed it to him. "It's a card chip. You have any idea what it for?"  
  
Jeff nodded. "It's a chip from the bank."  
  
Mike's eyes widened. The bank?! If it was from the bank then Regina was the one that robbed it.  
  
"Where'd you get this, Mike? Who's is it?" Jeff asked.  
  
It belongs to the Regina girl, Mike thought. But he couldn't possibly tell Jeff anything. As obnoxious as Jeff was, Jeff only cared about the money. And besides, Mike was probably going to mess with Regina for a while.  
  
"I just found it. Tell me, what does this chip do?" Mike asked him.  
  
Jeff scratched his head. "Well, it manipulates the alarm and the surveillance systems and I assume it can open them safes also. Why are you asking?"  
  
Mike nodded to himself. No doubt Regina had lied to him. Why would she? Mike looked at Jeff and responded, "Oh, just to know." Mike took back the chip and held it in his hand.  
  
Mike thought, 'Sure Regina, we will meet later on sooner than you expect.' Then Jeff could see a grin forming on Mike's face.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Stay tuned for chapter 2! 


End file.
